Red Sox stay patient with Bradley

Friday

Jackie Bradley Jr. struggles at the plate but he's a Gold Glove defender in center field.

BOSTON -- Jackie Bradley Jr. was back in the Red Sox lineup Friday night for a weekend series opener against the Mariners, and it’s a place where he’s likely to stay.

There seems to be no limit to the patience Boston manager Alex Cora will show with his center fielder, who is off to another frigid start at the plate. The Red Sox look content to absorb his absence of offensive production thanks to his Gold Glove defense. The latest example came in Wednesday’s 2-1, 12-inning victory over the Orioles at Camden Yards.

Bradley’s robbery of a potential walkoff home run by Trey Mancini in the bottom of the 11th was just the latest addition to the highlight reel. He raced into the alley in left-center field, timed his leap at the wall and made a fabulous backhand catch to extend the game. Andrew Benintendi’s solo home run the next half-inning wound up the difference.

“We know what he brings defensively every night,” Cora said. “Regardless of where he’s at offensively, that shows up. He saved the game with that play.”

Ryan Brasier was one of the primary beneficiaries of Bradley’s brilliance. He stood to be the losing pitcher had Mancini’s ball cleared the fence, but instead he wound up with the victory thanks to an eventful 1-2-3 frame. Brasier’s proper introduction to Bradley’s skills came last year against the same hitter at the same venue, as Mancini was robbed of a double on a screaming drive to center in a 5-3 Boston win on July 24.

“Off the bat I didn’t know,” Brasier said. “I knew it was going to be close. The further he got towards the ball I kept thinking, ‘Please catch it.’”

Chris Sale’s best start of the season ultimately came in a winning effort. The left-hander struck out 14 against no walks but wasn’t involved in the decision after leaving a 1-1 game in the ninth. Sale was eating dinner in the kitchen just off the visiting clubhouse in Baltimore when he saw Bradley’s catch on television.

“That’s why you love having him out there,” Sale said. “He just looks like he’s supposed to do it. Even after the catch – no emotion. It’s like, ‘Yeah, I planned on it.’ You love seeing that.”

That extra bit of surety felt by the pitching staff also buys Bradley some extra time. His .142/.240/.170 slash line entering the eight-game home stand at Fenway Park is south of the .161/.261/.242 posted by Bradley at his lowest point last season. He rebounded to a .260/.333/.460 finish over his final 106 games, including 29 of his 33 doubles and 11 of his 13 home runs.

Removing Bradley from the lineup would also create an unwanted domino effect for the current version of the Red Sox roster. Mookie Betts is among the best defensive right fielders in baseball, and moving him over would weaken the defense at two positions. Using J.D. Martinez as an everyday outfielder creates an injury risk for one of the lineup’s most productive bats, and Boston can ill afford to lose Martinez for any extended period.

“The things that he does in the outfield, it’s a plus for what we do,” Cora said. “That’s why we have to be patient. Sometimes it doesn’t look great offensively, but today he walked and he worked the count and all that. We know that at one point he’s going to get hot, but defensively he’s a plus guy.”

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